Tag: ipad

Apple Tree of Knowledge: Did you know that it was reported, in 2011, that each Apple employee brought in over $200,000 in revenue every year for the company, while only getting paid slightly above minimum wage? This eventually led to employee outrage and Apple raised employee wages and offered better benefits. Moral of the story, know your value and you can make a case to be treated better.

I started my journey with the Kindle when I was deployed with the Air Force in 2011. At the time, I didn’t have a Kindle so I started downloading free or cheap $.99 books from the Amazon store on my iPhone 3GS. Being that it was the only device I had to read on, I didn’t know how much nicer reading on a bigger screen eventually would be.

After my deployment, I went to Target and purchased a Kindle. It was fascinating knowing I had all of these books in one spot. Since the Kindle books are primary just text, you can fill hundreds, if not thousands, of books on a single device.

At the time, I didn’t think I had a need for an iPad. I had my phone and had my MacBook. That was all I needed until the iPad mini was released. At that point, my Kindle started to be neglected. Reading on my iPad mini was fantastic because not only could it hold all of those books that the Kindle could, but it also was my computer replacement. I could do nearly everything on this one device.

I eventually moved onto my iPad Air 2, which is my current iPad. Again, not much different than the iPad mini as far as how it works, but its size. It is a great e-book reader, but I was looking for something smaller, again.

Size

Comparing my iPad Air 2 to the Kindle Paperwhite, you will notice there is a significant size difference. My iPad is a 9.7″ screen while the Kindle Paperwhite has a 6 inch screen. Sizes of the screen doesn’t matter too much other than being able to fit more text onto the screen at one time. Just as an FYI, you can change the size of the text on both devices to make it easier to read or to fit more text onto the screen.

Where the sizes of the devices start making a big difference is when it comes down to the weight. The iPad Air 2 weighs in at 437 grams while the Kindle Paperwhite weighs 205 grams. As you can see, the iPad Air 2 weighs more than double that of the Kindle. This will be a dealbreaker for mostly everyone if you are looking for a standalone e-reader. If you are a reader who likes to read hours at a time, the Kindle will definitely be the more attractive option for you.

Function

If you know anything about the iPad, you know that it can do pretty much everything your phone can do and can sometimes replace your need for an actual computer or laptop. When I am not in school, the iPad becomes my computer. The fact that you can take this device everywhere and do the things you can do with it, is incredible. You can use the Kindle or iBook store on the iPad. So if you have books purchased on either store, you have access to them. As far as a device that does it all, the iPad gets that check mark.

The Kindle is an e-reader and that is about it. And sometimes, that is a good thing. With the iPad you deal with notifications from all of the apps on the device. If you have your texts and iMessages coming through, you are distracted by that. With all of the distractions in the technology world today, sometimes you need that break from it all. That is where the Kindle shines. There are no dinging or pinging noises. It is a device to read a book. Plain and simple.

Battery

Apple tells us that the iPad will get around 10 hours of use. Of course, what you are doing on the device will make that number vary big time.

Amazon tells us that the Kindle Paperwhite under certain backlight settings will get you around 28 hours.

Regardless of how you use the devices, you can see that the Kindle destroys the iPad, as far as battery is concerned. But it makes sense. With the iPad you are getting a beautiful high definition display and the hardware and software combined does a great job making that battery last as long as physics allow. With the Kindle, it uses an e-ink display. It is far from beautiful but that is how it gets such a long battery life. This may sound silly but one downside with having something like the Kindle, that has a long battery life, is that you always forget to charge it. You rarely have to charge it so by the time it needs a charge, you already forgot to plug it in. So as a reminder, before a trip, charge your devices!

The Kindle Paperwhite is usually $119.99 but as of this writing is $99.99.

Conclusion

So, as you can tell, there are quite a few differences, advantages and disadvantages to reading on both of them.

If an iPad is something that you have been eyeing up, I cannot recommend enough having one in your lineup of tech devices. It does its job as an e-reader plus much more, but also have to sacrifice size, portability and price.

If you just need an e-book reader the Kindle Paperwhite is a fantastic device. It is small, light and cheaper than the competition.

Apple Tree of Knowledge: Do you know why Apple uses 9:41 am on their displays and packaging for all of their devices? This is the exact time that Steve Jobs announced the original iPad. It used to read 9:42 am because that is when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. But since the iPads release in 2010, 9:41 has been the go-to. Now, you know 🙂

This last week, Apple snuck in a quick little event in Chicago.

When the events were sent out, it was almost a no brainer that it was going to be about iPads in the education market. Also, if you look at the invitation, the drawing looks very much like something that would be been drawn with an Apple Pencil. But the Apple Pencil only works with the iPad Pros, right? Well, this week, Apple showed us the new iPad and that all changed.

iPad

The new iPad is the updated version of the 9.7 inch iPad they released yesterday. Aesthetically, it is the same. You will not see any differences unless you opt for the new gold color.

The greatest upgrade this iPad got was Apple Pencil support. As mentioned above, the Apple Pencil only worked with the iPad Pro before. Now, it works with new, lower end iPad.

Also, the iPad got a new processor upgrade. It was upgraded to the A10 processor that is found in the iPhone 7.

For an entry level iPad, priced at $329, this is an iPad really worth the money. If you are looking to upgrade your iPad Air 2 or earlier, this would be a great upgrade.

Go Pro?

Overall, the iPad Pro is still better than this iPad. But they are also for two different markets. So what are the differences between this new iPad and the iPad Pros?

First off, the Touch ID sensor. The new iPad still uses the 1st generation Touch ID sensor which noticeably slower compared to the fast 2nd generation version found in the latest 10.5 and 12.9 inch iPad Pros. If the rumors are true, we can expect the iPad Pros to receive Face ID this year or next, to match the iPhone X.

The Apple Smart Connector, that allows easy pairing with compatible keyboards found on the iPad Pro, is missing on the new iPad. That would of been great to have, but you can still buy a 3rd part bluetooth keyboard to use.

One of the biggest selling points for this new iPad is the price. At $329, you get Apple’s full experience and can do what most people do on their iPads. You are not losing much at all. Compared to the $649 and $799 10.5 and 12.9 inch iPad Pros, it is a bargain.

The screen quality isn’t as high as the iPad Pros. But it is sufficient. People who notice a difference are people who need an iPad Pro that are editing photos or videos and require the highest quality available.

The camera’s on this new iPad are not as good as the iPad Pro. But please don’t be that person blocking the person behind you by taking photos with your iPad. Please.

Who is This For?

As I wrote this, it felt like I was putting this new iPad down and then giving excuses for it. And I kind of was. This iPad is wonderful. If you use your iPad for watching videos, streaming music, reading, checking email, messaging and browsing the internet, this is the iPad for you. There is no doubt about it.

If you are someone who edits photos, videos or audio or are looking to replace your main computer with an iPad, I would look at the iPad Pros. They are extremely powerful and if you are doing that type of work, will be worth the extra money.